Study in mice yields Angelman advance

Two schematics: CN2097

The binding of the synthetic compound CN2097 (yellow in these renderings) to the synaptic protein PSD-95 restores healthy neural function in mice with the Angelman syndrome gene mutation.Credit: Marshall Lab/Brown University

In a new study in mice, a scientific collaboration centered at Brown University lays out in unprecedented detail a neurological signaling breakdown in Angelman syndrome, a disorder that affects thousands of children each year, characterized by developmental delay, seizures, and other problems. With the new understanding, the team demonstrated how a synthesized, peptide-like compound called CN2097 works to restore neural functions impaired by the disease.